Jedi Underground
by Calliope Foster
Summary: After the Jedi purge few have survived, but those who have will have quite a story to tell...follow's Darkhorse comics: Star Wars Republic R&R and enjoy.
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: **I own only these introduced characters of Seren and Solan, but the rest of the Star Wars Universe belongs to George Lucas and the Darkhorse Comics publishing company._

**Star** **Wars Republic**

**Jedi Underground**

"_Seren…"_

The call was like a whisper on a faint breeze, but Seren woke to her name and blinked. Despite the hazy atmosphere of the planet, the light was far too much for the padawan's joggled brain. A few silent moments passed as Seren tried to gather her senses. Below her was a pile of torn moss, above her mottled brush that hid her and she felt as if a rancor had used her for a matt. Glancing down at her arms, Seren saw specs of blood from thorns catching her fall and her right shoulder felt as if it was on fire.

"_Seren…"_

This time the voice did not sound as if it was from a dream. Turning to her right, she saw a familiar young man hidden beneath a pile of leaves nearby. Panic and relief swelled in Seren's heart and she moved toward her twin brother.

"Solan!"

"Shhh!" Solan commanded and slithered toward her like a snake. "They're everywhere!"

Seren stared at her brother, seeing fear in his blue eyes for the first time. "What's going on?" Seren lowered her voice. "What's happened, Solan?"

"The clones turned on us, don't you remember?" Solan queried. "You took quite a fall. I…thought you were dead."

Yes, the fall, Seren remembered that now. "My shoulder feels like it's been hit by a blaster…"

Solan looked at his sister with concern. "It was."

"Master Zurri!" Seren gasped, as memories seeped through. "Is he…?"

Licking his dry lips, Solan averted his eyes. "Dead…I'm afraid there were more casualties…I could feel a tremble in the force just before I came after you."

Suddenly the whole earth shook beneath them and the siblings observed their position in the ditch below. Dirt loosened from the grass-covered cliff as a huge tank drove by on the winding road above. The twins covered their eyes as the bits of debris from the small quake rained down on them.

"Just a vehicle…" Solan whispered, "must be on the look-out for us."

"Do you think there's any way we could get back to Coruscant?"

Solan shook his head solemnly in reply. Above, the vehicle moved out of sight while the clone army above discussed the plans on their comlinks. Seren felt for her lightsaber, but it was gone as well as her own transmission device.

"Are you able to walk, Seren?"

"I…don't know," Seren wiggled each of her extremities and was relieved to find that she still had feeling in her legs, "everything's where it should be."

Getting to his knees, Solan reached over and helped his sister to hers. "Well, for right now we're going to have to crawl, until we reach safer ground."

Seren clenched her teeth and groaned from the pain when she tried to apply weight to her right side. "I'll only be a burden."

"I'm not leaving you—I never have before and I won't do it now." Solan said firmly. Gazing into her twin brother's eyes, Seren begged him quietly, but lost the fight and averted her eyes in defeat. "There were other Jedi here; we can't be the only ones who survived."

"What about my lightsaber?"

"I found it nearby." Solan put her bad arm over his shoulders. "Now come on, Seren, you've been through worse."

Although Seren did not think so, she knew her brother was right.


	2. The Worst is Over

One

"Her shoulder's infected," Dass Jennir spoke, "but she'll live. If she survived this long, she'll make it through."

Solan set his jaw firmly and nodded, staring up at the blonde haired Jedi. "Will she still have use of her arm?"

Sighing, Dass nodded as well. "I believe so. She was grazed, really—her position in the struggle may have saved her life, Padawan."

"And the others?"

"Dead." Dass replied, his voice having a hint of melancholy behind his cool exterior. "At least the most of them. Those who Vader did not kill in the temple either died like your master or were fooled into returning to the temple."

Dass Jennir saw the boy struggle with his own feelings as he swallowed all of his pain and fury. The padawan had short, black hair and the long, thin braid of a trainee going past his shoulder. He was small now, at only fifteen, but the boy had begun to mature and his features were already strong.

"Why did they turn on us, Master Jennir?"

"I believe they were against us all along." Looking away, Jennir stared at his new comrades, the Nosaurians, for a moment and then turned back to the green eyed boy. "And their time to strike had come. We fell for a false security."

A few more silent moments passed between the two of them and then Jennir stepped forward, bringing out his lightsaber. "The time of the Jedi has passed, and so has your time as a padawan," igniting his lightsaber, Jennir deftly cut the braid from the boy's hair and then stepped back, "I would train you myself now if I was arrogant enough, but there is little reason to. Go to your sister."

Solan tried to keep his lips from trembling as he passed Jennir and entered the lavish tent where his sister rested. Going to Seren, the dark haired boy sat at her side and took his sister's hand.

Seren was beautiful, her lips curved gently, her face round and soft-skinned despite a few nicks from her fall. Like her brother, Seren had black hair, but hers was long and wavy, letting the braid blend in better. When Seren woke up, Solan would take her braid from her as well, but right now she was in a tender state and he did not wish to wake her.

A tear escaped Solan's left eye, but he did not move to wipe it away as it trailed down his cheek and dripped off of his chin. Everything was so uncertain now. Would Master Jennir allow them to stay with him and fight or would he send them elsewhere? Would Seren die from her wound, despite Jennir's blessing, or would she survive? Would living be better than death?

"Why are you crying?"

Solan turned and gazed down at Seren, who stared at him with groggy concern. Wiping away the mess, Solan sniffed back the tears and shook his head. "It's nothing."

When Seren went to sit up, she was thwarted by a sharp pain in her right shoulder and lay back down. Staring up at Solan, Seren squeezed his hand, making him look at her.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm…" Solan closed his eyes, "so afraid."

A gentle hand wiped away more of the tears and Solan opened his eyes to gaze at his twin sister. "So am I." She said softly.

Instantly Solan embraced his twin, despite her current state, but she opened her arms wide for comfort and held him with more strength that she thought she had. Small cries emitted from Solan as Seren kept a firm hold of her brother. Seren allowed her brother to cry for a few more minutes before releasing him and pushing him away to look into his eyes.

"The worst of it's over." She assured him. "And we still have each other."

"I'm sorry…I…didn't mean to wake you."

"Oh hush." Seren teased and smiled softly. "You're my brother, Solan, I could probably forgive you if you cut my arm off."


	3. The Hunch

Two

Darth Sidious glared at the hologram that had been sent to him. "Jedi?"

In the darkened corner of the room Darth Vader remained as Darth Sidious shot him a scowl and then turned back to the hologram. "Kill them before they do something stupid."

Darth Vader grasped the hilt of his lightsaber. "Master, allow me to go."

"No," Darth Sidious growled, "stay here, we are in need of your service, Vader."

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Dass Jennir entered the underground bar, filled with the scum of the planet. Clones mingled here, their fast aging process giving them reason to want more out of life in a shorter period of time. Dass Jennir was also aging, his long, light blonde hair had shades of white through it now and his face had begun to soften.

A familiar face appeared at the bar and Jennir grinned, sitting down across from the man once known as Quinlan Vos. Vos stood and outstretched his hand. "You're looking well."

Jennir raised his dainty brow. "As are you."

Although he was accustomed to addressing a fellow Jedi as 'Master', this was no such place to do that. "They're here with you?"

"Yes," Jennir nodded, "I did not permit them to come inside."

Vos let out a laugh. "I thought you said they were the best you've ever seen?"

"Precisely," Jennir said, nodding to the waitress who gave him a drink, "they're a reckless pair."

"The very pair that caused old Ben all that grief when he helped the little green guy, huh?"

Jennir chuckled at Vos's new code. "Yes, they would be the ones."

"Always knew those two would be something." Vos's charm had never left him. "Call it a hunch."

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Seren sat, her arms crossed over her chest, and her head tilted back to watch the stars. A dull ache came from her bad shoulder, ever since the shot from the blaster she had trouble with it, and she reached up to rub it when Solan shifted in his seat. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Solan shook his head, looking peeved, "where is he? He said he'd be a minute."

Remaining as patient as ever, Seren rolled her eyes. "Calm down, he's fine."

"What if something happened to him?"

"Nothing happened to him, now shut-up."

A few silent moments passed by, Solan staring at the bar while Seren searched the skies above her. Solan's last nerve snapped and he leapt from the hovercraft, disturbing Seren. "Where are you going?" She snapped, following after him in her dark cloak.

"To find him." Solan replied, grabbing at his belt and glancing back. "Coming?"

Seren was exhausted by her brother's brashness. "Somebody has to watch your back."

The pair strolled toward the bar together and as they reached the entrance, a white suited officer came over and put a hand to Solan's chest. A click came on, activating the voice. "The bar's full."

Solan glanced at Seren, who only chuckled, and then waved his hand before the storm trooper's eyes. "I've already got a date, I'm not stealing from you or your troops."

"Looks like you've already got a date." The trooper took a step away.

Another trooper advanced then. "What's going on here?"

"He's already got a date," the first trooper replied, "he won't be stealing from us or the troops."

The second trooper paused for a minute and then looked back at the newcomers, bringing up a gun and aiming it at the pair. "All right, you two, just go back where you came from."

"All right, all right, we don't want any trouble."

Solan began to turn away, slipping his hand beneath his long, outer coat, and then spinning around to slice the trooper's head off with a gleaming lightsaber. Seren ignited her own, both glowing pale blue, and they went for the oncoming siege of storm troopers.

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"And what of 'old Ben'? Will he join us as well?"

His face darkening, Vos gave a sigh. "Afraid not. Old Ben's done with the likes of us."

Just then the head of a storm trooper plopped down the steps of the bar, followed by a calm pair. A few murmurs went through the crowd, fellow storm troopers turned from the sight, and the pair continued to the table where the old Jedi sat.

"Master," Solan said, leaning down, "we came to see if you were all right."

Vos sat back, eyeing the girl with a grin and giving a chuckle. "I'm fine." Jennir's said, more exasperated than angry. "Sit down."

Without hesitation, the pair sat on either side of Jennir as if they were his guard dogs. "Vos, I'd like you to meet Seren and Solan." Jennir gave a death warning glance to each of the twins. "This is Master Quinlan Vos."

"Pleased to meet you."

"A pleasure, sir."

Vos nodded to the pair and then grinned. "Yeah…I had a hunch."


	4. A Minor Setback

Three

Seren pushed back her dark hood, her bright eyes surveying the desert horizon, and then she turned to Jennir. "I thought he said his ship was out here."

"It is." Jennir replied, watching Vos disappear behind a sand dune.

"Worried, Ren?"

"I never worry, Solan."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Dass Jennir retorted. "Now both of you quit your bickering."

Suddenly from behind the dune a ship appeared, Vos directing it toward the threesome and then hovering above them. A hatch on the side opened and a ladder was thrown down to them. "Ladies first." Solan bowed with a grin.

Just as Seren went to grab the ladder, Solan jumped in front and climbed up first, and then the girl turned to Jennir. With a sigh, Jennir shook his head. "Go on, child."

Biting her lip, Seren climbed up the rope ladder and followed her brother into the ship. Jennir was last to enter and the hatch closed behind him. Vos was at the controls. "All right, buckle up!" The gray-haired Kiffar ordered.

Everyone settled into their own seat and then the ship shot off into space. "I hope this thing has a cloaking device," Seren insisted, "it'd be our only defense against Darth Vader's senses."

Solan stretched as he began to relax. "At this speed nobody needs a cloaking device. Besides, they're illegal."

"And since when did _you_ play by the rules?"

Quinlan Vos turned to Jennir, at the second-command chair, and grinned. "How do you put up with the pair of them?"

"I have an overabundant supply of patience." Jennir replied. "I was trained well."

Suddenly a figure appeared between the pilots and they both turned to see Solan standing there. "Nice ship, controls are a bit outdated, but in great shape."

Seren rolled her eyes as she watched her brother. "Solan, what would _you_ know about ships?"

Ignoring his sister, Solan leaned forward. "Think I could give it a try?"

"How about you get back to your seat?" Vos retorted.

"Solan, we've no time for horseplay—"

The ship stalled, throwing everyone forward and Solan slammed up against the window. After a few moments everyone gained their senses and Solan scampered back to his seat. Seren's knuckles turned white as she gripped the armrests of her seat in terror. "What was _that_?"

"Nobody panic," Vos insisted, "we got a bit too close to a black hole."

In moments the ship was able to shoot out of the black hole's pull and they headed toward their destination once more. "Dathomir is not the kindest of places, Master Vos."

Quinlan turned to Dass. "I've got connections there."

"Yes, and I suppose where you have connections, you have enemies as well." Jennir glanced back, making sure the twins were preoccupied with bickering, and then leaned toward Vos. "They've lived their lives in a tree-covered paradise, they may be well-trained, but they are incredibly naïve and if you're leading us into something dangerous—"

"Would I lead you into something dangerous? Come _on_, Dass." Then Quinlan glanced back at the controls. "We're coming up on it fast. We'll have to be careful about the landing, the emperor watches this planet like a dragon watches his prey."

Dass sighed, exhausted with concern, and allowed Vos full control over the situation. There was little to do from here, Dass had been convinced to take the twins out of hiding already and going back to a peaceful life on a woodland planet would have been impossible. Now they were all going to have to live like most Jedi lived already; in terror.

The planet was a spec and it began to grow slightly larger. They would have to keep some distance until they scanned the area for any of the Sith's pawns. When the coast was clear, Vos went forward and into the murky clouds of the planet of Dathomir. In the back, the twins watched out the windows with interest. This planet looked very much like their own home, but everything seemed to be burdened with mist.

Vos found a clear spot to land and then ordered everyone to stay inside as he made sure no one was there to harm them. The hatch opened and Vos exited with Dass, the twins inside and watching with curiosity.

"Looks clear." Vos said, scanning every direction with a keen eye. "We need to find T'kallya, of the Singing Mountain Clan."

"What do you men know about T'kallya?"

Vos and Jennir turned around to see a tall, tanned woman with fellow warriors surrounding her. "She's a friend of mine, my name is Quinlan Vos, and this is my friend Dass Jennir." Vos replied. "We've come to speak with her."

"Well, that's impossible." The woman replied, her warriors preparing for a fight. "She's been killed. By men from the sky."

"What's going on, Seren? I can't see because of your big head!"

Grabbing his face, Seren pushed Solan away and brought out her lightsaber. "Come on, we've got trouble."


	5. Captives

Four

Vos woke up groggily, his arms felt as if pins and needles were being driven through them. When he tried to get his arms free, Vos felt rope dig into his wrists and groaned. There was the taste of blood on his chapped lips when he licked them and that's when he felt the pain in his nose.

Opening his eyes, Vos saw the camp in front of him, women moving above freely, while men went about their servant duties. A few women were not far away, examining something familiar in their hands. "You're awake."

Quinlan Vos saw Dass Jennir with his hands tied behind his back, hugging a pole in a painful way. "The twins?"

"I wish I knew." Dass replied. "They were driven back into the brush, from there everything went black…"

Worry encompassed the older man's face and Vos struggled with the rope, hoping feeling would come back to his arms. "Any idea as to our situation?"

"Currently we're being stripped of our items and observed," Dass said, shifting his weight, "other than that, I'm unsure of what is happening."

A whooping noise came from the edge of the camp and the two Jedi turned to see a hunting party returning, looking successful. Dass scanned the mass of huntresses for the twins, but saw no trace of them.

One of the witches, obviously someone of importance, approached the leader of the group. "Where are the warriors?"

"We ran after them for miles and miles, and still the trespassers remained strong willed," the leader proclaimed, "but finally, we drove them far enough to watch them throw themselves off of a cliff in defeat!"

All of the warriors cheered, but the woman who addressed them had a disdainful expression. "You were to keep them alive."

"They are no longer a threat, Mother," the younger woman retorted, "they are the star people, the people who killed your sister."

"We don't know that." The graying woman snapped. "Go back to your post."

Dass felt his fists clench in fury, his anger overriding his usually calm exterior. Vos looked away. "We shouldn't have come here."

Taking a deep breath, Dass looked over to Quinlan. "You did what you thought would help, I can't blame you for that."

The witches dispersed and the two captives remained tied for the rest of the day, long into night, as fires lit the camp and the people went about their daily tasks. Vos was snoring and Jennir was beginning to nod off when he heard rustling in the brush behind him. Snapping to attention, he tried to turn and look, but he could see nothing then two cold hands wrapped around his. "Seren?" Dass whispered hopefully. "Solan? Is that you?"

"Don't worry," Seren replied, "we're all right."

"Thankfully a pool from a waterfall broke our fall," Solan said, "we spent the rest of the afternoon drying off and coming up with a plan to save the two of you."

Dass smirked as he felt the rope loosen from his hands and then pulled free of the ties. Nearby Vos's sound sleep was broken and he tried to see who was setting him free. "I thought you two were—"

"Never underestimate them," Dass rubbed his knotted hands, "let's get out of here."

"No, I need to find out what happened to T'kallya." Vos insisted. "And why we were treated so coldly."

Before Dass could do anything, Quinlan stole off. "Master…I hate to say this," Seren bit her lip, "but I think Master Vos is right."

Staring at his two young protégés, Dass contemplated the danger. "You've risked your lives too many times today."

"If you think we're going to let him go off and get himself killed…"

"I know, I know," Dass stopped Solan before he could go on, "we'll follow Master Vos."

Solan turned to Seren, who took her lightsaber out and then handed Master Jennir's his that the pair had stolen back. Solan went ahead, followed by Master Jennir and then Seren came, making sure their backs were covered. The leader of the three stopped abruptly, signaling for the other two to stay back as a guard passed by one of the tents. After she was gone, Solan moved on, followed by his master and sister.

There was a shout and Solan ran ahead, as Seren prepared to defend Jennir, as if he was incapable of doing so. The fires that the guards held changed direction and headed quickly toward the tent of suspicion. Seren and Master followed Solan, reaching the tent first and rushing inside to see the ruler of the camp looking surprised to see her captives and the live quarry presumed dead standing in her tent.

"Mother!" A voice came from outside, everyone in the tent regarding each other with silent tension. "Mother, are you all right?"

"Go back to your posts!" The servant in the tent looked horrified. "Fellan's having another night terror!"

A hesitation went about the guards before they finally started going about their business. The leader scowled at her intruders. "Had you wanted to kill me, I hope you would have done it sooner," the woman rose, a flowing, white shift brushing across the blankets as she came towards her uninvited guests, "you have my full attention."

Vos stood strong. "We had nothing to do with the death of T'kallya…in fact, we came here searching for her help, she and I were friends."

"Ahh, the man from the skies she went into the woods to find," the woman nodded, "I thought you were only a myth…until I watched who I thought was you kill her. But your face is not like his. I remember it well."

Then why had she not released them? Perhaps to study them further, but Vos was furious by now. Dass laid his hand on his fellow Jedi's shoulder to quell his rage. "I understand your anger…she was your sister, wasn't she?"

The woman nodded at that. "Yes. My name is Ayo Cho, I am the leader of the Singing Mountain Clan."

"I am Quinlan Vos, this is my fellow Jedi, Dass Jennir, and his two padawans, Seren and Solan." Quinlan said. "We came seeking peace, not war."

"These times are troubled. Even the stars shiver with fear…" Ayo became distant for a moment and then turned to her intruders, "forgive me for taking such caution, we are a people adverse to outsiders. My sister put her trust in you, Quinlan Vos, so I will do the same."


	6. Pensive

Five

Seren and Solan stood on either side of the two men who were with them like two guards as Ayo Cho stood in front of her angry tribe. "Kill the intruders!" They called out furiously. "Kill the murdering star-people!"

Ayo Cho glared at the leader of the fanatic young women who had chased down the twins. Seren glanced at Solan, who did the same, sending quick messages telepathically, and then glaring at the leader of the group. "Almaeda, these people are not to blame, it was wrong of us to assume—"

"They've placed mind-blocks on you!" The girl named Almaeda snapped, pointing with conviction at the newcomers. "You're not thinking straight, Mother!"

"Enough, Almaeda!" Ayo Cho's voice became stern and unforgiving, instantly quelling her daughter. "I have plenty reason to believe that these people are here to help us, to make a difference in this ever-changing world."

Almaeda crossed her arms defiantly and gave an arrogant snort from her pierced nose. "Now, everyone, we have grave matters at hand. The visitors will stay here tonight and tomorrow a few will be chosen to leave this place with them." There was talk amongst the crowd, filled with both excitement and fear. "This is certainly an opportunity to see other worlds, but there may be a chance you'll never return to Dathomir. Tomorrow everything will be decided, but for now, our visitors shall be welcomed appropriately."

The twins relaxed their grips on their sabers simultaneously and Dass made sure the two of them had not become upset by the proceedings. Vos had other plans, and he instantly joined Ayo Cho when she ordered everyone to go back to their daily routine. "I would offer you to stay longer," Ayo said to Quinlan, "but I fear that it may try the nerves of many that reside here."

"We're all anxious to return to our journey anyway," Vos replied, "so you've nothing to worry over."

Dass turned, taking the shoulders of the twins and guiding them down the trail Vos and Ayo were taking. "The pair of you need your rest, after everything's that happened in the past night."

"We're fine." Seren replied as Solan yawned.

Laughing, Dass led them to the tent Ayo had prepared for them. "I'll come for the two of you when things are settled."

With that Dass left the twins and they surveyed the beds that had been made for them. Solan sat down on one of the pillows and sighed with relief, but Seren remained standing.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't like leaving Master Jennir unattended."

"What trouble can he get in if we rest only for a bit?" Solan leaned back, putting his hands behind his head.

Seren sat down, her anxiety apparent to her brother, who sat up with concern. "Seren, what's going on?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?"

"Everything's very scattered right now, Solan," Seren replied, "I can't explain it…maybe I'm just tired."

"Was it about the chief's daughter?"

"No," Seren said with a shrug, "she's harmless."

Dass left the tent and then went toward the tent that Vos and Ayo were in. He entered and the pair were having lunch together, conversing. Ayo gestured for him to sit. "My slave will bring you something."


End file.
